To:THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF LABOUR AND DEFENCE

Written:Written at the end of July 1920Published:First published in 1942 inLenin Miscellany XXXIV.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1975,

      Moscow,Volume 44,

      pages406b-408a.Translated:Clemens DuttTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive.You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Thepeace proposal by the Poles gives us an opportunity
for more systematic use of the troops which it was intended
to transfer from the Caucasian Front to the Western Front.
I propose, therefore, that the Council of Defence draft a
decision as follows:

1.Thetroops of the Caucasian Front to march through
the entire Ukraine, the route being so calculated thateachvolost (of the approximately 1,900 volosts of the Ukraine)
is passed throughtwice, first by a cavalry unit and then,
after an interval, an infantry unit, to fulfil (and thencheckfulfilment of) the following tasks:

(a)the collection of food (according to the quotas to
be requisitioned);

(b)the formation locally, i.e., in every village, of adouble(compared to the quota) stock of food (collected
in barns, in houses of priests, landowners, the rich,
etc.), this stock to be guarded by the local peasants
on their responsibility.

Thisdouble stock is to serve as anexchangefund;
from this stock held by the peasants, grain will be
takenafterthe local peasants have been suppliedwithgoods, Russian andforeign, by agreementwith
the local peasants;

(c)the compilation (and checking) of a list of “responsible” peasants (5–20%, etc., of the householders of
each village, depending on its size, to be selected from
the localrich peasantsstarting from the top, i.e.,
according to wealth).

The“responsible” peasants are to bepersonallyanswerable for the fulfilment of food and other
assignments of the authorities.

Afterthe departure of the troops, the special task
of the local authorities will be to ensure the proper
and safe keeping of this list (for non-fulfilment of this
task—death sentence);

(d)the disarming of the rich peasants.

Completecollection of arms. Responsibility for
undiscovered arms rests on the commander of the
army unit; for non-declaration of arms it rests on
the person with whom they are found (death sentence),and on the whole group of“responsible”peasants(a
fine, not in money, but in grain and articles;
confiscation of property, arrest; work in the mines);

(e)assistance in sowing the fields, in repairs to
agricultural implements, and other necessary work (
guarding stores or checking the guard over them, work
on the railways, etc.) (guarding stores of salt, etc.).

2.Forthe purposes indicated above, a commissar or
instructor to be added to each army unit (to its Communist
cell) (muster 1,000 people if necessary from the Petrograd,
Moscow, Ivanovo-Voznesensk workers) to control fulfilment
of the tasks mentioned.

3.In“stubborn” volosts or villages, the army units
either to organise a “third visit” (by troops) or to remain
longerbilleted(up to 2 weeks) for punishment and
correction.

4.Partof these decisions to be put through the Defence
Council, part through the Council of the Labour Army
and the Council of People’s Commissars of the Ukraine.

5.Ahighly popularleaflet to be published for the
peasants to explain matters in general, and the idea of thestocks
of food for exchange for foreign goods, in particular.

Acommission to be set up at once for publishing such
a leaflet, and a series of them, as well as a number of
instructions.

Fordrafting these proposals, a commission to be set
up at once consisting of Comrades Bryukhanov and
Sklyansky. Comrade Stalin to be asked to be the chairman of the
commission.

V.Ulyanov(Lenin)Chairman, Council of Defence